Krrrriono Sweater

First of all, Michele Wang has started podcasting!! I’m talking about THE Michele Wang who has designed all those gorgeous patterns. Don’t miss an episode! 

On my needles there is my Krrrriono sweater  (=I’m freezing in Greek with a few dramatic rrrs). I’m knitting this sweater for wearing it at work. Working in a fishfarm is really challenging in every season. Summer is too hot and winter is too cold. Knitting for this dirty environment is a waste of yarn and time but I believe this sweater will keep me warm. 

Thank you all for your response on my Essential Sweater. You are the best! 

Joining Frontier Dreams and Yarn Along. 

FO: Essential Sweater

I’m so so proud of myself for this sweater! I present to you the first sweater I designed! The Essential Sweater! 

You know that the little black dress is an essential piece for any girl’s wardrobe. I believe that a black, cotton, short sleeve sweater is also a must!

It is a sweater that can be worn all year around and in every occasion. From a chilly summer night combined with shorts or at a business meeting with a pair of linen pants or jeans. 

I always struggle on what to take with me on business trips. The weather can be very unpredictable and some meals are more formal. This sweater will always be on my luggage, no matter the destination or the kind of trip 😉 For me, it stands up its name. It is essential!!

The body has the right amount of texture and by knitting different stitches in each part, helped me “hide” or even change my body’s imperfections. For example, knitting in seed stitch the bust created the illusion that I’m more gifted in that area. Also the stockinette stitch at the sleeves makes my arms look more toned.

The yarn is 100% mercerized cotton by E.L. Mouzakis Butterfly Super 10 which is a DK yarn, in black color and I used 4,5mm/US7 needles. As known, cotton yarn makes the stitch definition pop!

This is the first time I design a sweater. By the time I tried it on, I actually had tears of joy! I’m very strict with myself and creating something so beautiful out of my head was… weirdly amazing! 

I was planning to write it down and share it with you but I wanted so badly to show it to you! Maybe when I have more free time…. But when I find time I prefer to knit…. It’s pointless! 

If anyone is inspired by my sweater and wants to knit it, I’ll be more than happy to help, so feel free to email me. 

It is a very easy knit, if you have some experience with different stitches and you can always rearrange them according to your body. 

As for the construction, it is knitted bottom-up in the round with no shaping and there is also no shoulder shaping which for me is the best since I have wide shoulders (thank you swimming!). 

For the shoulder seam, I did a three-needle bind off because I  think it holds better when it comes to cotton yarn. 

I did Alina’s perfect neckline trim, which will be my go-to neckline from now on (thank you dear Alina! This sweater wouldn’t be the same without your tutorial!)
The sleeves were picked up and knitted in round with some degreases.

I’m planning on knitting a more winter version of it soon. If anyone is interested, we can have our own unofficial KAL! I think I can manage to break it down to pieces and guide you along the way. This could be so exciting!!! Let me know if you are in!

The second sock

I have two half pairs of socks that need their other half to be finished so I can use the needles to knit more socks. My Dreaming of Vacations Socks will be done today or tomorrow the latest. After that, the other half pair is next. See, no second sock syndrome here 😉

I believe you all know Molly from A Homespun House, who hadn’t recorded for 3 months or so and now has a new episode which if you haven’t already see, you definitely should. Isn’t she an amazing dyer? Oh her yarns! She knows color as no one does! 

I can’t wait to see what you are knitting this week. 

Joining Frontier Dreams and Yarn Along. 

Restart

If you see no progress in my Beach Cover, it’s because on Monday I used a larger cable to check how it fits and it was huuuuge. So I ripped it off and restarted from scratch. I didn’t mind since this stitch in 6,5mm needles will help this dress fly off my hands in no time. I believe that it will be finished by the next week. Or at least I’ll try.

Do you know Katie? She is a true performer. And a knitter. And amazing sewer. Can’t beat that! Tune in with Inside Number 23 Podcast. Trust me. You won’t regret it. 

Joining Frontier Dreams and Yarn Along. 

Summer around here…

Summer should have more than 24 hours a day. Anybody else feeling like that or it’s just me? Summer is busy. Having a full day job, feeling so tired of the heat, running around to keep up with everything, even trying to sneak in some free time to go swimming, it’s exhausting. And the garden? 

Oh, the garden! I love being sustainable. I enjoy our vegetables more than anything. All of us do. Even our turtles 😉 And I can’t wait for the pears, plums and figs to be ready for harvest. But those weeds! They are so winning me by this point. And the mosquitoes! Sigh. 

My happy time is when I knit. I’m knitting a bit after work, while F is watering and I’m holding Naya and late at night. I’m very content about my knitting time. I’m not that much about the finished product.

I steam blocked my Missoni Maxi Skirt today. 

I haven’t tried steam blocking before and didn’t know what to expect. I went slow and was very happy with the result. The fabric was flat and soft. But when I tried it on I realised that it had expanded very much. I was stepping on it even though I was wearing my high heels! I need to revisit it and rip off a few inches. Also I need to find a cropped top to wear with my skirt. Shopping feels like an errand to me at this point of my life. 

As for our house progress, we currently are in pause. The roof will be done in the next weeks and after that we will start again around October. It’s too hot now for the next steps.

Beach essentials

This week I’m all over beach wearing since I’m living and breathing for the end of August when I’ll get myself on a plane and join my family on vacations. 

My Deep Blue Sea Top is half way done and I started knitting a Beach Cover using the lovely yarn Veronica gifted me. I don’t think the 4 balls of yarn I have will be enough for the loose dress I’m planning, but I trust my improvisation will lead me somewhere beautiful. 

My Creative Garage Podcast is accompanying me while I’m knitting. Vanessa and her daughter are great crafters. They count only 6 episodes so far, but their podcast is definitely worth checking it out.

Joining Frontier Dreams and Yarn Along. 

Mixed season knitting

My Missoni Maxi Skirt is off to be blocked 🙂 So I’m allowed to cast on whatever I want! La la la! 

Kristin (aka voolenvine) from the Yarngasm Podcast was a true delight to knit with. If only I could get her absolutely gorgeous hand dyed yarn on my hands…. One day my friends! One day I will!

In present time, I already casted on and finished a baby sweater and now I have on the needles a beach top which I named Deep Blue Sea Top after the yarn’s colors. I’m going for something like this to wear with my bikini. 

I’m also making socks with cuffs,heels and toes in egg yoke yellow, since the leftovers from the self striping yarn I had wasn’t enough for a full pair, and I’m sooooo loving them! I decided this way is to be the second pair out of any sock yarn I have. These socks will be my Dreaming of Vacations Socks because, my dears, this year I’m going to take a week off work and join my family on vacations! 

I’m talking about spending all day by the sea, swimming, sleeping, summer movie cinema, being with loved ones and knitting with my mum and grandma! I will rest! 

I hope you’re having a great time or at least planning to do so.

Joining Frontier Dreams and Yarn Along . 

Getting there…

My Missoni Maxi Skirt is about 2 inches from finishing! I spent the whole week working on it exclusively and it sure paid off. I want to finish this and cast on a thousand new projects. 

Yesterday I watched the lasted episode of the Tea House Knits Podcast which I enjoyed very much. Tina is so calm and makes me feel very relaxed. 

Joining Frontier Dreams and Yarn Along. 

FO: Greek Crisis Tank Top

Today I have an old FO which I haven’t show you.
Well, I have shown you but not in details.
Better late than never, right?
With no further procrastination, here is my version of the Notched Hem Tank Top by Purl Soho.

I started knitting it last summer when the Greek bank crisis was steaming hot, hence the name of my top 😛
F was watching the news (the news were playing non stop!) and I was knitting and knitting.

I decided to knit it flat after seeing Alina’s dress.
How strange for me to find a pattern that I want to knit, which is knitted in round, which I absolutely love doing since I avoid seaming like the devil, and modify it into knitting it in pieces and have not 2 but 4 seams in the end?!
Must have been the weird mood that existed here at that time.
I honestly can’t think of anything else!

As for the so late details, I used light fingering weight cotton yarn. For the main body I held two strains together for more opaque look, while for the side panels I used the same yarn in a different color but one strain of it with one size bigger needle. This way the sides are a bit see through but, in the meantime, feels like I’m wearing my own personal cooler! 
Here is a close up.
(Apparently I messed up with the decreases but don’t tell anyone)

Also I modified the length of the side panels and the stitch on them.
I knitted them as the rest of the body, in stockinette and with the ribbing. I preferred it this way.

As for the photos, they were taken on September!
Thank you S! Too bad you’re far! You could be my official photographer!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Yarn Along

In a try to be more active around here, I’ve decided to keep the Wednesday’s post as most of your posts.
A single photo.
In a twist 😉
Not with what I’m reading, since I sadly have no time for, but with who is keeping me company when I knit!
I have discovered knitting podcasts and my world has changed!

This week I’m all over my Missoni Maxi Skirt.
This is take #4. I tried it on and I think I like it. I say I think because I’m not trusting myself anymore.
In breaks of my skirt, I’m making a vanilla sock. My Back To My Happy Place Socks with the most happy yarn I own.
And I’m watching the Knitting Broomstick Podcast.
I started from the first episode and today I’m watching episode 27.
I absolutely love it! Jilly is so wonderfully geeky with all her theme KALs. Go check it, if you haven’t already.

Joining Yarn Along.